Allotments 4 All

Now I have about half of the new allotment in hand, a couple of months of hard work but it is looking OK, I am thinking onto next year. One of the reasons for the allotment is more room to supply cut flowers for the house. Obviously I cannot cover the whole 12 months of the year but should be able to supply enough for 6 or 7 months I hope. I am happy to put about a ¼ of the allotment down to flowers.

Plans so far stretch to a Tulip bed, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, Sweet William. No need for daffs as I have 1,000’s of those at home already and also grow a couple of wigwams of sweet peas at home along side a perennial sweet pea that comes back year after year.

What other options could I think about? I have heavy clay based soil. Part of the plot is shaded at times by an oak tree, the ground slopes gently and is not badly drained. No organic matte has been applied for a number of years.

Thanks

Jerry

How about sunflowers, they have to be one of my favorites!

The thing is Doris where you gonna get a vase from thats 18 ft high  ;D ;D ;D

Very good, very good! ;D  ;D

cornflowers and larkspur last for ages in water. also, i grow cosmos, nasturtiums, canterbury bells,campanula persicifolia, icelandic poppies, scabious, geums, lupins, cleomes, lavatera trimestris, hollyhocks, calendulas, rudbeckias, incarvillea 'cheron' (not ther nasty pink ones but delicate pale primrose, very easy,) - all these are really easy, growing in one season from seed and mostly lasting well. for fragrance, go for pinks, sweetpeas, sweet william, wallflowers. i plant many flowers at the edges of veg beds, or around paths or climbing with beans (morning glories, cobaens, climbing nasturtium, black-eyed susans (thunbergias) go for it - flowers are too lovely to ignore.
also, bulbs such as the nanus gladioli, lilies, freesia, shizostylus and many more.
i grow all hardy annuals in September and either leave them to it or shelter in a coldframe. - they flower early and well next year.
good luck, i have flowers in the house nearly all year round.
cheers, suzy

Mophead hydrangeas are lovely cut for the house, with such large flowers you only need a few to create an impressive display. They last quite well as cut flowers and grow well in shade/semi shade. I have clay soil and they seem to like it. They are dead easy to grow from cuttings and don't need much maintenance. Although not sure if they are the type of plant you want on an allotment.

I have just got Sarah Ravens 'Cutting Garden' book out of the library, and am very impressed. It contains loads of practical advice on what to grow and when and how to grow them. Recommended. Hell, I might even buy a copy!

Hardy you might want to look here!
http://www.thecuttinggarden.com/html/home.asp  DP